Superheroes, Sapphires shine

Writer

AS SUPERHERO and spy movies pushed the Australian box office to a near-record $1.126 billion last year, the country's films had a modest jump in their market share.

The highest-grossing movie was The Avengers, which became the third-most successful release in Australian cinema history by taking $53.3 million. That left the comic book movie behind only two James Cameron blockbusters - Avatar and Titanic.

The latest James Bond instalment, Skyfall, and director Christopher Nolan's final Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, also cracked $40 million in ticket sales.

There were much stronger-than-expected takings for two very different comedies that also made the year's top 10 - the ribald Ted ($34.5 million) and the genteel The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ($21.4 million).

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Comedies also dominated among Australian films that succeeded during the year. The Sapphires, about an indigenous girl group in the 1960s, led the way with $14.5 million. It was followed by Happy Feet Two, Kath & Kimderella, A Few Best Men and Mental.

According to figures released by the Motion Picture Distributors Association and Screen Australia, the Australian share of box office jumped $5 million to $47.9 million - equivalent to just 4.3 per cent of tickets sold. Reflecting the dominance of Hollywood, the local share has oscillated between 1.3 per cent and 4.6 per cent over the past decade. The record remains 23.5 per cent when Crocodile Dundee was released in 1986.

While cinema trading remains stronger than many other sectors of the economy, the 2.8 per cent jump in box office last year also reflects higher average ticket prices.